R. Kelly Responds to Time’s Up #MuteRKelly Campaign

On Monday (April 30), Time's Up's Women of Color subset published a letter on The Root calling for RCA Records, Ticketmaster, Spotify, Apple Music and concert venues to ice R. Kelly out, and to make him pay for his transgressions. The campaign is called #MuteRKelly.

The group claims the R&B icon "Married a girl under 18 years of age; was sued by at least four women for sexual misconduct, statutory rape, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint and furnishing illegal drugs to a minor; was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography and has faced allegations of sexual abuse and imprisonment of women under threats of violence and familial harm."

“Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement. We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals—and in this case, it is unjust and off-target," says the statement, via Variety.

“We fully support the rights of women to be empowered to make their own choices. Time’s Up has neglected to speak with any of the women who welcome R. Kelly’s support, and it has rushed to judgment without the facts. Soon it will become clear Mr. Kelly is the target of a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time. Kelly’s music is a part of American and African-American culture that should never—and will never—be silenced. Since America was born, black men and women have been lynched for having sex or for being accused of it. We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.”